Dallas Cowboys: Top 5 potential first-round draft picks in 2021

1. Patrick Surtain II, Cornerback, Alabama

The Dallas Cowboys have only managed to accrue 17 interceptions in their last two seasons of play. The team had the fewest interceptions of any team in the NFL in 2019 with 7 and has struggled immensely to force takeaways for the better part of two years. One of the reasons for this is the lack of a playmaker in Dallas’s secondary.

The Cowboys tried to address this glaring hole when it used its second-round draft pick on Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs in the 2020 NFL Draft. Diggs finished his rookie campaign leading America’s Team in both interceptions with three and pass deflections with 14 despite only playing in 12 games.

Diggs was a welcome addition to the teams’ porous secondary and he played admirably during his rookie campaign. However, the organization still desperately needs help in their secondary. As the previous slide mentions the team also has two of its top players at the cornerback position facing free agency this offseason.

Patrick Surtain II has been a playmaker for the Crimson Tides since his freshman year with his most impressive season happening in 2019. Surtain finished that season with two interceptions and three forced fumbles the latter of which was good for the second-best mark in the hyper-competitive SEC.

He is also one of a handful of premier players who chose to play this year.  Surtain currently has posted 34 total tackles and an interception and has been a key part of Alabama’s current national championship run.

One of the things separating the young cornerback from the rest of the players on this list is his football pedigree. Surtain’s father played over ten years in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs and finished his career with three Pro Bowl appearances.

Everyone who watches college football knows that Alabama has become famous for producing highly-talented players on both sides of the ball. Simply playing at such a prestigious school and playing top-tier competition in the SEC should warrant Surtain a look from Dallas.

The Dallas Cowboys need a playmaker in their secondary. They also need someone to play across from their talented young cornerback Trevon Diggs. Who better than a fellow Crimson Tide to play opposite of Diggs and to help America’s Team improve its struggling secondary.